Restaurants

Stop by Jerry Bob's for a delicious homestyle meal. The menu features hearty and mouthwatering Mexican dishes and deli sandwiches alongside breakfast items like pancakes, sausages, burritos, omlettes and eggs prepared just the way you like it. The restaurant itself is small, homey and comfortable, much like an old-school diner. Serving delicious food in generous portions, Jerry Bob's promises a meal that will leave you feeling content, comforted and thoroughly satisfied.

Monsoon Night Club is a newly opened hot spot at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson. With interiors that are absolutely brilliant and a large screen with animations, the atmosphere at the club is enticing. With blue and black tiger print carpets on the floor and two bars at either end of the club, Monsoon's look resembles the Tucson Summer Storm. With live bands and famous DJ's spinning hits, this place is popular amongst the locals and tourists alike.

After hours of gaming and wagering at the Desert Diamond Casino, stop by their signature restaurant - The Steak House to enjoy some of best meats and seafood. Make it a double date or dine with a large group; the elegant and sophisticated interiors will surely impress. Service is impeccable and the atmosphere is relaxed. The menu highlights the best prime cuts like Filet Mignon and New York Strip apart from favorites like Lobster Macaroni & Cheese, Coconut Panko Colossal Shrimp and Chicken Marsala. The drinks line-up is nothing short of impressive and perfectly complements the chops and seafood dishes. Reserve ahead to make the most.

In empty lots and street corners through out Tucson the ubiquitous hot dog cart with a picnic table, awning and Norteno music blaring signals a delicious repast. The Sonoran Hot Dog. BK’s in south Tucson creates one of the best and is hopping with activity from opening to close. The dog is a thin all beef frankfurter wrapped in bacon and then sauted and served on a fresh doughy Mexican bun. Topped with salsa, chile, crema, a thin avocado dip and pickled onions, carrots and radish, this local favorite hits the spot. BK’s also serves standard Mexican fare such as carne asada and carne seca. A real treat and not to be missed if one wants to experience local cuisine. -Ted Parks

Olive Garden serves up authentic Italian cuisine. Their signature breadsticks and one-of-a-kind menu make them an American icon. Standard Italian options like bruchetta, calamari, ravioli, and eggplant parmigiana line their lengthy menu. More exotic items like salmon, chicken dishes, and innovative pizzas are also available. For the calorie-counter, Olive Garden has a range of low fat and low carbohydrate options. Their bottomless salads ensure a well-balanced feast. Enjoy your meal with a bottle from their extensive wine list or one of their tropical island drinks. Finally, top it all off with a little something from their dessert menu—their cakes, custards, and ice creams are sure to win you over. Lunch and take out menus are available.

Adjacent to Tucson's favorite fish market, L.H. Rodriguez, in a South Tucson warehouse, La Costa Brava serves a fresh-from-the-sea assortment of fish and shellfish. Aptly decorated in a fishing village motif, it has a Mexican seacoast feel and flavor. The menu changes to offer the freshest seasonal catches and often includes salmon, swordfish, shrimp, tuna, lobster and Cabrilla.

The Mariscal family welcomes you to this comfortable and casual restaurant that's been serving some of Tucson's favorite Sonoran-style cuisine since 1976. The restaurant also runs concessions at the Tucson Convention Center Arena and Exhibition Hall. The budget-priced menu features Fajitas, Burros, Chimichangas and the local-favorite Topopo salads. It also has children's plates. Beer, wine and lime or strawberry margaritas and full bar service are available.

In the same location since 1949, this family-run restaurant has been under the current ownership since the late 1970s. This comfortable, casual spot focuses on hearty-healthy choices and offers more than 150 menu options. The house specialty, Cucuruchos, are flour tortilla cones filled with your choice of chicken, beans or green or red chile beef with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and guacamole, an ice-cream cone-like entree. Other popular items are their Gorditas (thick corn cakes) and Barbacoa (the Mexican version of barbecue).

If you don't like a little local color in your cuisine and if you don't speak or at least understand a little Spanish, maybe this isn't the place for you. But, if you enjoy authentic eats and don't need a cloth napkin to dab the salsa from your lips, you'll find some of South Tucson's most genuine and appetizing Mexican meals here. The fish tastes like it came straight from the Sea of Cortez (the fish platter has five pieces of flaky white fish, plus rice, beans and tortillas); the Carne Birria is slow-cooked, tender and tasty. Daily specials feature more great casa-style cooking. Prices are mostly $6-$8 and the portions are hefty.

For more than a half-century, this Tucson Mexican marvel, situated inside an impressive territorial-style building with a comfortable and casual Mexican interior, has been operated by generations of a single family. So when you visit Guillermo's Double L Restaurant, you're sure to be welcomed and treated like family. A large and inexpensive menu features all of your favorite south-of-the-border specialties, and the hand-mixed margaritas make a great go-along.

For more than four decades, Tucsonans have flocked to this "little nest" for well-prepared and well-priced Sonoran specialties. Housed in an attractive Mexican village-style building, it offers good food, friendly service and an authentically Mexican experience. The interior is colorful and lively with bright red chairs, serape-striped upholstery and Mexican art. Among the many menu options are chile rellenos (stuffed chile peppers), burros, tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas, flautas and huevos rancheros (a popular egg, bean and chile dish). Mexican and domestic beers and wines are served. Open wednesday to sunday from 11:30am onwards.

This family-owned and operated Western rib and steak house has won several local awards for their fork-tender, fall-off-the-bone meats, served up in a fun-for-the-family Western setting, and enhanced by live country music on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Choice Angus beef, ribs, chicken and seafood are all mesquite-grilled and served with your choice of sides. Dinner prices range from $10-$15, with full bar service available. A daily happy hour features drink and appetizer specials.